Fork In The Road
by daydreamer97
Summary: Sequel to Yesterday Once More [IchiRuki]. I highly suggest you read the prequel. Ichigo went in the wrong direction. Can he find his way back to Rukia’s path? IN PROGRESS: READ&REVIEW please!
1. Prologue

Fork In The Road

Prologue

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach!!

Summary: Sequel to Yesterday Once More IchiRuki. Ichigo went in the wrong direction. Can he find his way back to Rukia's path?

_A hollow claw slashed through his shoulder. Mustering all his strength left, he struck the hollow with Zangetsu. It didn't work, and the hollow ripped through his other shoulder. "Dang it," Ichigo cursed under his breath. He was weak—so, so weak. Blacking out, he fell on the floor._

"_Ichigo! Wake up! Ichigo, please, please wake up!" Rukia cried, running over, shaking him._

"_Wake up, Ichigo, wake up!_

…………………………………………

"Wake up, Ichigo, wake up!"

Ichigo groaned. His younger sister Yuzu was shaking him, telling him to wake up. "Ichigo, get up, you're going to be late for work!" Yuzu was now in university, and had matured a bit, although she still maintained her cuteness.

"What work? My work is right downstairs…"

Ichigo groggily blinked and rubbed his eyes. _So…Rukia appeared in my dream. Again. Not surprising… _ten years ago, Rukia had left back to Soul Society—again. This time, it was his fault for not following. He had decided to stay. He finished high school at Karakura High, and then went to one of the best universities in the country. Hard to believe, but it was true. He now had a Ph. D in medicine, and although he could've gotten a better job, he refused to move into the city to work. He didn't want to leave home…yet.

Sitting up, he stared out the window. Seeing the park down the block brought back memories of him and Rukia. _Shit, Ichigo…pull yourself together! She's there and you're here. You two lead separate lives now. She's probably forgotten you by now…_Ichigo shook his head and headed towards the shower.

Feeling the hot water droplets rain down on him, he breathed out a sigh of relief. For no particular reason, the shower relieved him. It was when he got deep into his thoughts. _How am I going to find Rukia? I don't think she'll ever want to see me again…I was such a fool. A fool to let her go._ Getting dressed in his uniform, he walked down into the kitchen. Yuzu, Karin and Isshin were already eating breakfast, and all three were arguing about whether banana, blueberry or chocolate pancakes were the best. Yuzu had made breakfast for them again. _Hai…_

"Plain pancakes are the best."

Startled, all three of them looked up at him. He peered at the pancakes. "There has to be a reason these pancakes are plain, right?"

Smirking, he sat down and helped himself to a few pancakes. Karin and Isshin glared at him, while Yuzu smiled at him, "That's a reasonable answer, Ichi-nii."

Yuzu was already 20, but still called him Ichi-nii. She was more mature and had a sweeter, kinder personality than Karin, who was stubborn like her father. How Yuzu reminded Ichigo of his mother.

"Right. So I'm going to go into the clinic now…see you all later," Isshin announced, walking into the room next door, he called, "Ichigo, hurry up and finish your pancakes!"

………………………………………………………..

Walking around the huge garden that surrounded all of the Kuchiki household, a certain violet eyed female shinigami was observing the cherry blossom trees. _That one is very pretty. It's the only one that has bloomed._ She continued her walk around the huge area until she came to the outside of her room.

Sitting down on the wood floor, she stared at the sunrise. How beautiful it was. It was the little things like this that made life worth living. Seeing sunrises reminded her that today was going to be a fresh day. She was not going to waste a single day as long as she was alive. _Ichigo would have loved being here with me and seeing the sunset. He always did have a certain liking towards the beautiful colors. It was always so magical…_ Rukia stopped herself. She refused to think of him. It didn't hurt as much now, because she knew one day he would come find her. If he didn't…Rukia knew he would try. Rukia knew he loved her. Until he _did_ come to her, she wasn't going to get her hopes up high.

Kuchiki Byakuya secretly observed his younger sister. He hadn't aged over the years, neither had Rukia. He was still as sharp and observant as before. _Thinking about Ichigo again. Rukia really does care for him._ An idea popped into his head. Grabbing a piece of rice paper on his desk, he began to write in quick fluid strokes.

Ichigo would have a surprise.

A/N: Ichigo IS 25 in my fic, and after reading my reviews, I edited Yuzu's age to 20. Thanks for the pointers!


	2. Rice Paper?

Fork In The Road

Chapter 1: Rice Paper?

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach!!

After a long day of prescribing different sorts of medicines to his many patients (he was quite a popular doctor), he was thankful to be home.

"Dad! Yuzu, Karin! Where are you?"

Shortly he heard a crash from the kitchen and a jumble of voices!#$#$#$#$&($$#$!$

A puff of black smoke appeared around his father, whose face was…well, black with whatever he was making.

"Dad burnt the chicken!" Yuzu and Karin pointed accusingly at their father.

Ichigo shook his head and headed upstairs to his room, yelling out, "Call me when dinner is ready and is NOT burnt chicken!" before closing the door. Laying on his bed, he let images of Rukia slip in and out of his mind before drifting into a comfortable and much needed nap.

……………………………………………………………………………

Kuchiki Byakuya lightly knocked on his sister's door.

"Rukia?" After not getting any response, he parted the two sliding doors and little and peered in. Rukia was curled up on her tatami with a book in her hand. _Clearly she had fallen asleep while reading. The poor book, being squashed by her._ He chuckled to himself and closed the door, letting Rukia sleep.

Walking further until he reached the gate, he spoke with the guardsman. "Is anyone heading to the human world today?"

"No, sir."

So he had to do it himself. He walked on towards the gate to the human world, clutching the piece of rice paper tightly.

………………………………………………………………………………

Waking up from his nap, he decided he needed a breath of fresh air. He walked past his mail box before noticing an odd piece of rice paper jutting out of it. Frowning, he picked it up.

_Rice paper? Who on earth still uses it for mail?_

He unfolded it. Eyes wide, he realized who it was from.

A/N: sorry, I know this is a pretty short chapter…I've been having a lot of homework lately so I'll try my best to update as frequently as possible! Please review! It means a lot! I'll accept any suggestions for my story. : )


	3. A Voice In His Dreams

Chapter 2: A Voice In His Dreams

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach!!

Ichigo stared at the piece of paper, shocked. His eyes skimmed over it once again, checking to make sure it wasn't just him hallucinating.

_Kuchiki Byakuya? Writing to him? Impossible._

On the letter, it said:

Ichigo, how are you? Yes, I do know what you are thinking; you are wondering why I would be writing to you. I've been quite worried about Rukia lately. Day and night…she thinks of you, she talks about you. I am not the uncaring person you think I am, especially towards my own sister. I expect you to return to Soul Society within the next month. You will be allowed to stay at the Kuchiki household, and you may come back to the human world to visit a few times every two months. I expect to see you in Soul Society soon.

Kuchiki Byakuya

_Wow. So Rukia…had missed him. Was he ever in her dreams?_

A month passed quickly. Explaining to his sisters and father the position he was in, they "understood completely." Of course, Isshin made a big display of how his son was now "grown up" and "moving out".

Ichigo walked…slowly. Although his heart was excited and anxious to see Rukia, he wanted to soak up Karakura town as much as possible before leaving. Turning a corner, he came face to face with none other than Urahara.

"Ah, Ichigo. You are finally going to Soul Society!"

Ichigo grunted, "Yeah…I guess. So I assume you're bringing me to the portal?"

"Smart. Yes, I am. I will walk you there." The two had light conversation about how their lives have been so far, and before they knew it, they had reached the portal.

"Ichigo, beware. You will see Kuchiki Byakuya the moment you exit the portal. Now go!", commanded Urahara, pushing Ichigo in. "What? BYAKUYA'S ON THE OTHER SIDE?"

Realizing he had not been facing the correct direction, he turned around, only to hit the mud type of ground in Soul Society. _Ugh. What a wonderful exit._

He stood up, and looked around. The place hadn't changed.

"You know, I do expect to be called Kuchiki taichou by people I am not fond of." Ichigo whirled around, and saw Byakuya's familiar, steely stare boring into him. "Oh…uh…of course, Kuchiki taichou."

"Let us proceed. Rukia has no idea that you are here. You may go into her garden or room to find her later if you must." Byakuya instructed Ichigo calmly, yet Ichigo somehow got the feeling that Byakuya was feeling less than friendly with Ichigo. _At least he's being civil._

"So…uh….how has Rukia been?," Ichigo awkwardly asked, "I mean…she's been good, I guess? Healthy? Happy?"

"Yes…she's healthy. Happy? I'm not sure it's possible without you."

Ichigo sighed. Walking through the mansion, he was not surprised. The Kuchiki clan…a noble family's home should be like this. Large gardens with blossoming cherry trees and a pond here and there, different small buildings.

"Here is your room. Do not…ahem, _abuse_ it. And do not break the vases and antiques, they have been in the household for more than a thousand years," Byakuya briefly outlined him before walking out. Ichigo dropped everything and sat outside his room. The Japanese styled house was quite nice, as he sat, observing the garden and its' beauty.

Suddenly, a voice spoke. A voice that Ichigo only heard in his dreams.

"Ichigo?"

A/N: sorry for the crappy chapter. I've been busy with school lately, I'm so sorry for the lack of updates! Reviews please…they mean a lot to me!


	4. The Blessing

Fork In The Road

Chapter 3: The Blessing

Immediately hearing the familiar voice, Ichigo's head snapped up.

"Rukia…," he breathed out, "I—"

"Have finally come back!" Rukia cut in, leaping into his arms to give him a huge bear hug (or in her case, a "chappy bunny" hug. /), "I can't believe it! I've missed you so much! Come over to my part of the house! Come on!"

Ichigo laughed, letting her drag him to her room. Inside was practically Chappy Bunny paradise. It was a pale purplish pink, with all sorts of "junk" to make it feel like home. She made him sit down on the little bean bags and started blabbering on about how 10 years seemed just like yesterday and how glad she was to see him.

"I've missed you so much! Are you staying here…permanently?" Rukia questioned him, hoping to find out that he would stay with her forever. "Oh…yeah, I guess so. I'll be returning to the human world a few times every once in a while to visit, though."

Rukia squealed, "Alright. I'll give you a tour of the house!"

She swiftly hopped up and held his hand. Her small hand fit perfectly with Ichigo's. They walked around the huge household, shortly before bumping into her brother.

"Nii-sama! Guess who's here!"

Byakuya hadn't seen her so joyful in a long time.

"Rukia, before you drag Ichigo off to wherever you are taking him, may I have a word with him?"

Ichigo, dumbfounded, looked up. "Me?"

"Yes, you! Get in there, idiot!" Rukia yelled and pushed him in, "Get in so you can finish up quickly and hang out with me!"

Ichigo's hand ruffled the back of his hair, a sick look on his face, as he followed him in. Rukia gave him a reassuring smile before skipping off to the garden.

"Close the door behind you."

Ichigo slid the door close, "So," he turned around, "what do you want to talk to me about?"

"Sit down."

"You sure are brief. What is it?" Ichigo began getting curious.

"Do you intend on staying here? Marrying Rukia, even?"

Ichigo blushed, "Shit. I'm blushing…" he muttered.

Byakuya eyed him, and Ichigo swore he saw a bit of laughter flicker in his eyes.

"I'd appreciate it if you don't tell her, but in my room, I already have an engagement ring."

"You have my blessing."

A/N: sorry for not updating! I've been hooked onto Grey's Anatomy recently. It is REALLY good. I recommend it for all of you!


	5. Bonding?

Fork In The Road

Chapter 4: Bonding?

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach!!

After a tiring but enjoyable day with Rukia, Ichigo lied on his tatami, thinking to himself. _So I told Byakuya… now how am I going to propose?_

Thinking to himself for a while, he drifted into a deep slumber.

………………………………………………………………….

_Ichigo + Rukia was engraved in a heart, on a tree. The grove of the sakura trees was peaceful and serene, with sakura petals blowing around from the light breeze. They were sitting underneath the biggest sakura tree, the most beautiful one. "This can be our tree," Rukia smiled._

"_Sure," Ichigo smiled back. Her smile always cheered him up. They watched the clouds move slowly across the sky, pointing out shapes to each other, laughing. Time passed quickly and the sunset could be seen in a distance. _

_Rukia laughed._

……………………………………………………………………………

Rukia laughed, looking at Ichigo's dopey, sleepy face as he slumbered.

"Wake up! It's already 10:30. You should go down and eat breakfast while I shower. Nii-sama is downstairs…so have fun bonding," Rukia grinned, before stepping out.

Ichigo groaned, and slowly walked towards the dining room.

"Good morning, Kurosaki. I have something to ask you: how exactly are you going to propose to my sister?"

"I'm going to find a grove with lots of sakura trees. Do you know any place of this sort?" Ichigo silently hoped that he would know.

"Yes, I do, actually. How did you get that idea?," Byakuya surprisingly replied, silently muttering, "What a coincidence…"

"What coincidence?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

"Sure, whatever. I didn't really _think_ of the idea, more of—"

"I proposed to Hisana in a place like that. Rukia doesn't know this, but I'm guessing she will know if you tell her." _He's actually being civil to me._ "Ichigo, I know what you're thinking. You are going to be my son in law soon, but let me remind you, I am only being civil. I do not get attached to people easily." Byakuya was back to his curt self.

"Anyway, I dreamt this idea. So… I will do it as soon as possible."

"Go shower. I will send Rukia to her squad and I shall show you the place. Be quick," Byakuya commanded. With a swish of his robes, he stepped out into the courtyard to wait.

Ichigo scratched his head and sighed. _Another moment alone with the great Kuchiki…how wonderful._

Rolling his eyes, he went to bathe and change.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

"Wow, this place is…amazing. It's beautiful," was the first thing that came to Ichigo's mind when he saw the place. The trees were in full bloom and the grass was green—it was just perfect.

"I know. Hisana loved it, so I am hoping that Rukia will too."

They stood there for a while, just looking at the beautiful scenery, before heading back to the Kuchiki house, where Rukia was waiting.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

"I said Ichigo could do a LITTLE bonding with nii-sama, not go and hang out with him!," Rukia fumed. She had gone to her squad, finished her duties and was sent back home. "This is unfair."

An hour an a half later, the 2 men showed up and found a very pissed off Rukia sitting in the middle of her room glaring at them.

"Rukia, what's the matter?" Ichigo questioned.

"My definition of bonding was to _talk_ and have _light conversation_ with nii-sama. Nii-sama, where did you bring him? You both were gone for so long!"

"I had to show Ichigo something. It regards his staying here in Soul Society," before swiftly stepping out.

"Hey, tonight, I gotta show you something. You'll love it," Ichigo grinned, attempting to cheer Rukia up.

"Where?"

"You'll see," Ichigo smiled to himself.

A/N: crappy chapter again. I'm thinking about just..not writing anymore? I'm not sure. Listen, I've formed a group on facebook called "we should be on the Guinness book of world records: biggest group on facebook!" or something like that. If you have facebook, you should join! And…invite everyone on your friends list. It would mean a lot to me. Continue to read and review!


	6. Me and My Bad Habits

Fork In The Road

Chapter 5: Me and My Bad Habits

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach!!

"Ichigo, where the heck are you taking me? It's not funny! You can't just blindfold me and tell me not to worry!"

Ichigo tried to contain his laughter, "And why can't I just blindfold you and tell you not to worry, hmm?"

"This isn't fair! I demand that you take it off right now!" Rukia's hands waved wildly over her head in attempt to take it off, "Damn stupid cloth," she muttered.

Ichigo took one of her hands and held it, continuing to lead her towards their destination. "Just relax for a moment, won't you? Don't you trust me?" Rukia sighed, surrendering, "Fine. I will try to RELAX FOR A MOMENT. There, happy?", as she pasted a faux smile on her face.

Laughing, he said, "Yeah, okay. I'm happy," Ichigo teased.

Not long after, Ichigo and Rukia arrived in the same serene place he and Byakuya had visited earlier on during the day.

Ichigo slowly untied the blindfold. Shaking her hair loose, Rukia lifted her head up. "Oh my God! This place is beautiful! How did you find it?"

"That's a secret. Maybe I'll tell you someday…"

Rukia tilted her head up and smiled, "Alright."

"Rukia, I want to ask you something." Rukia nodded, "Yeah? Go ahead."

Ichigo took in a deep breath. _Here goes…_

"You might think this is a little fast… but I know that I love you a lot, and I'm willing to spend the rest of my life listening to you whine about me and my bad habits. Will you marry me?"

Rukia gasped.

"No way—"

A/N: next chapter will be up as soon as possible :D reviews please! D


	7. A Chappy Bunny Wedding

Fork In The Road

Chapter 6: A Chappy Bunny Wedding

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach!!

"No way…did you just ask me to marry you?" Rukia, shocked, cocked her head sideways to look at him.

_Shit_.

"Um…yeah. Heh…" Ichigo nervously smiled at her.

Rukia looked at the ground, thinking for a moment before lifting her head up to grin, "Yeah…Of course I will!"

Ichigo stepped toward her, but was interrupted by Rukia, "And one more thing: WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY ME WHINING AND MY BAD HABITS?"

"Um… nothing," Ichigo tried looking innocent, which earned him a hit on his head. "Fine, I was just kidding!"

Rukia, satisfied, sat on the ground beneath a big sakura tree, before pulling Ichigo down with her.

They sat there for a while before starting to plan their wedding.

"Let's have it here," Rukia suggested, "It's so beautiful."

"Whatever you want is fine by me," replied Ichigo, "No—"

"CHAPPY BUNNY! We should have some Chappy Bunnies all around the place!"

"Anything but that!"

Rukia stuck her tongue out at him before running down the path where she assumed they came from. Reaching the end, she wondered out loud, "Okay… where do I go now?"

"Now I'm glad that I blindfolded you just now, haha. Wait til your brother hears that you want chappy bunnies at the wedding," Ichigo laughed, "Come on, I'll take you home."

Walking home hand in hand, they continued to argue about chappy bunny.

Rukia burst into Nii-Sama's study, complaining, "Nii-sama! Ichigo won't let me decorate the table cloth with chappy bunnies!"

Alarmed, he looked up at Rukia, and then Ichigo. "So I take it she said yes?"

Nodding, Ichigo tried desperately to stop Rukia from lunging even more at her brother. "I want chappy bunnies at the wedding!"

Shaking his head, Byakuya stood up, "Alright, let's all have a meeting regarding your wedding."

Byakuya, Rukia and Ichigo were sitting at a table, making wedding plans.

"Rukia, the only Chappy Bunnies that will be allowed at the wedding will be part of your gifts to the guests, is that clear?"

"Alright, alright. It'll be part of the gifts to the guests," Rukia scowled. Ichigo cut in, "And they have to be miniature."

"Fine!"

Byakuya looked at the couple, who were glaring at each other, before turning to him and going, "What?"

"Since Ichigo has moved here, he needs an occupation. Would you be interested in being part of the Gotei 13?"

"Yeah…sure. It would be pretty great," Ichigo nodded.

"I will talk to the head captain for you. When will the wedding take place?"

Rukia and Ichigo looked at each other. In unison, they replied, "Summer."

Since it was around 10 at night, they all decided to head to bed. Tomorrow Ichigo would find out what squad he would be in. Hopefully it wouldn't be the sixth squad, where he could be slaughtered by Byakuya at any moment.


	8. Here Goes Nothing

Fork In The Road

Chapter 7: Here Goes Nothing

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach!!

Ichigo rolled over, checking the time. "8:13 a.m…I guess that's okay," he grumbled, slowly crawling out of bed. Today was his first day at work, and he had to be at his squad building by 10.

He was, thankfully, not placed in the sixth squad, but as captain of the 9th division to replace Tousen. _What if I screw it all up?_ Walking into the shower, he began to think. _Rukia…wedding…subordinates…How am I going to handle being a captain? I bet I'm going to be the worst captain ever…_

Making his way out of the shower and down the hall into the dining room, he saw that Byakuya had already left and Rukia was sitting there, just staring into blank space. "Aren't you supposed to be heading to the 13th division as well?" Ichigo questioned, "Well, you have only 15 minutes left and your division is quite far."

"Don't worry, I can shunpo there," Rukia assured him, and smiled. "Nervous?"

"Yeah. What if I screw up? Being captain isn't easy, I don't think…"

"You'll do fine. Come on, let's go."

The two walked for a moment before parting ways. Ichigo walked towards the big building and took a long look at it. Stepping in slowly, he peered around. It seemed like a stiff environment. Everyone was… not themselves. He decided he would change that.

"Okay, here goes…," he mumbled.

A/N: Sorry about the shortness of this chapter, and for not updating. I promise I'll try my best to update as much as possible! I've been sick for the last week, but I have Easter break so you'll probably get a lot of updates from me.

I'll try to post the next chapter by Saturday. Is that okay?


	9. PUT ON SOME CLOTHES!

Fork In The Road

Chapter 9: PUT ON SOME CLOTHES!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach!!

"Oi! Anyone here?," Ichigo called out. All heads turned to look at him, before whispers broke out and girls giggled behind their desks.

A spunky, cheek tattooed man stepped out. "Hey Ichigo. Welcome to our..humble division, I suppose."

"Shuuhei Hisagi, just the man I'm looking for! Glad I've found you. You might want to fill me in on what's going on, cause so far I'm confused and clueless."

At the end of the day, Ichigo had settled into the new division and felt at home. He had learnt that many of his team mates were hard workers and that was all he needed.

…………………………………………………………………..

The minute Ichigo got home, he slumped down onto his bed and was about to fall asleep, before hearing a bunch of girls squeal and giggle in the next room. Raising his eyebrow, he decided to talk over and check it out.

He opened the door, "What the—"

The sharpest squeal he ever heard vibrated his eardrums stongly.

"Calm down guys, it's just Ichigo," Rukia smiled at him, "Sorry… Hinamori, Rangiku and Nemu wanted to come over and hang out. We also wanted to get started on bridesmaid dresses, which explains—"

"MATSUMOTO! PUT SOME CLOTHES ON! I WALK RIGHT INTO THE ROOM AND YOU'RE JUST STANDING THERE SQUEALING AND GIGGLING?" Ichigo's face turned bright red and he started out the door.

Rukia laughed, "See you at dinner!"

………………………………………………………………..

A/N: I'm so, so sorry that I haven't updated in so long. Here are 3 chapters! I have limited access to Internet right now so I will try to upload as many chapters as I can each time I have access.


	10. I Do

Fork In The Road

Chapter 10: I do.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach!!

A few months later…

"Eeessshh! I can't believe today's the day," a certain Kuchiki Rukia grinned in the dressing room with her friends. Surrounding her were all the notable female shinigami in Soul Society, and Orihime Inoue and Tatsuki Arisawa.

The girls laughed.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Inoue hugged her. Matsumoto was already holding a bottle of sake, saying they each had to have at least one cup before she walked down the aisle as it was "a time of celebration".

A knock was heard on the door.

"Rukia? Are you in there?"

Nemu blushed, "Rukia…we should go. Your brother wants to speak to you."

"You're just saying that cause you don't wanna see him because you'll start stuttering again!" Matsumoto declared, before marching the laughing girls out.

Byakuya walked in and immediately noticed how nervous she looked.

"Rukia…you'll do fine," and he gave her a hug, "are you ready to walk down the aisle yet? I'm ready when you are."

"Yeah, I guess so. Here goes nothing," smiling, she looked up her brother.

He gave her the rare smile back, before having her take his arm.

……………………………………………………………………………………

"What if she says no?"

"Geez, you're a fucking idiot. You've been asking that question for the past 2 hours," Renji complained.

Ichigo shook his head, looking at Shuuhei for help.

"Get over it man. You two are..um…madly in love, right? That should be enough," Hitsugaya commented.

Looking up suddenly, he saw Rukia and her brother walking down. She was wearing a white dress that slightly looked like a kimono, although it had long, flowing sleeves and a wide hem.

Ichigo's jaw dropped. Ishida smirked, pushing his jaw back up.

"You better thank me, I was the one who designed and made the dress."

"Will do," Ichigo grinned, "as long as I can get her out of it later," he added, trying to hold in his laughter.

The men all chuckled as the wedding ceremony proceeded.

Rukia stepped beside Ichigo, letting go of her brother's arm. They smiled at each other, held each other's hand.

…

"I do."


	11. Happiness and Contentment

Fork In The Road

Chapter 11: Happiness and Contentment.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach!!

Not long after Ichigo and Rukia were married, and _still_ living in the Kuchiki residence, Rukia became pregnant.

"Is it a baby girl or boy?" Hinamori excitedly asked. She had accompanied Rukia to Unohana, and she was a few weeks along.

"It's a girl," Rukia grinned.

That night at dinner, Rukia looked at her husband and her brother.

"Nii-sama, you're going to be an uncle. Ichigo, you're going to be a father," Rukia announced, trying to hold back the huge smile that was desperately trying to appear on her face.

Ichigo and Byakuya both looked at her, stunned, before smiles slowly found their way onto their faces.

"You're pregnant?!" The two men's huge eyes looked at her.

"Yes.. I'm around a month and a half along."

"We must make one room a nursery. Do you know whether it is a girl or boy?"

"Yes, nii-sama. It is a girl. According to Unohana-taichou, she will be due in December."

"Very well. We will create a lovely nursery for her," and seeing the look of hope in Rukia's eyes, he added, "and you may decorate it, but on one condition: you cannot put Chappy bunny all over the place!"

"Fine, fine…"

The rest of the night was peaceful and happy, and Ichigo was quite content that he was going to have a daughter.


End file.
